This pristine wonderland is hidden behind Table Mountain (on the south side), and above Hout Bay. What makes it extra-special is that access is restricted – it’s the only hiking area in Cape Town where a permit is required. The 8km Hell’s Gate trail heads upriver, past waterfalls and river pools and through mossy, mysterious afromontane forest, until it reaches the 19th-century Woodhead Tunnel.

Some people have told me this is the most beautiful hike they have ever done, so it’s understandable why this is one of the top bucket list hikes for so many.